HOUSTON _ The look on Ryan Saunders' face said it all. Mouth open. Head shaking side to side as he stared out at the court. This reaction came after a miscommunication between Taj Gibson and Jerryd Bayless that left the Rockets' Danuel House Jr. wide open for a 3-pointer in front of Saunders. He might have been the closes one to House, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.
It was a moment the encapsulated the Wolves on Sunday night in their 117-102 loss to the Rockets and where the Wolves are in this lost season.
Houston was the cruelest of all road destinations for the Timberwolves a season ago.
It was in the Toyota Center that Jimmy Butler injured his knee, requiring Butler to get surgery to repair a torn meniscus. That led to a tailspin for the Wolves over the final six weeks of the regular season and nearly caused them to miss the playoffs.
It was also in Houston that their season came to an unceremonious end in a fifth playoff game against the Rockets as Karl-Anthony Towns struggled in his first postseason series.
By the time the Wolves arrived in Houston for their first game this season on Sunday, the damage was already done and it felt very much like a team playing out the string. The Rockets feasted on the Wolves' lack of 3-point defense, especially in the third quarter when Houston scored 43 points and shot 10 of 18 from beyond the arc. They were 21 of 50 for the game from beyond the arc. The 10 made 3s in a quarter tied a franchise record for Houston, according to the NBA, with House's perhaps the most baffling and devastating of the bunch. It was for Saunders, who has seen the Wolves defense crumble in recent weeks along with their playoff chances. They have lost 12 of their last 13 road games and now have gone winless on five road trips of three games or more.
Because of the Butler trade and multiple injuries to key players, the Wolves have had to try and patch together lineups and game plans with little practice time. Saunders hasn't wanted to make excuses, but even he has acknowledged this has taken a toll on the Wolves, who have the worst defensive rating in the league since the All-Star break.
Just a few weeks ago their season had seemed on an upswing prior to the break when they defeated Houston in the last game before the break. The circumstances couldn't be any different Sunday.
Rockets Chris Paul lived up to his nickname CP3 in the third quarter and hit 4 of 5 3s on his way to 25 points. The Wolves slowed James Harden at times but he ended up with 20. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 for the Wolves but had his hands full with Clint Capela on both ends of the floor. Towns had just nine after the first quarter.
During the first, Saunders called a timeout after possession in which the Rockets got five shots. He wasn't shy about sharing his feelings about that possession in the huddle. But overall, the Wolves had a solid first 12 minutes and led 30-26.
The Rockets hadn't warmed up yet, failing to convert open looks, especially on corner 3-pointers. They were 3 of 11 from 3-point range in the first.
After a Gibson dunk, the Wolves had their largest lead of the half 34-26 at the 9:30 mark of the second, but Houston began chipping away at it and shots started falling. They took a 50-49 lead into halftime.
But then the third quarter began, and the Rockets overwhelmed the Wolves.
